Pope to beatify emperer Charles of Austria and two Frenchmen

Pope John Paul II will beatify emperor Charles of Austria and two 17th and 18th century Frenchmen, a missionary and a monk, on October 3, the office of papal liturgical celebrations said.

A number of aristocrats and royals are expected to be present at the late emperor's beatification ceremony at Saint Peter Square next month.

Beatification is the last stage before canonisation, when a person becomes a saint.

Emperor Charles of Austria, son of archduke Otto and archduchess Maria Josefa of Saxony and great-nephew of emperor Franz Josef I, was born on August 17, 1887, and died poor and exiled on the Atlantic island of Madeira, but with a reputation for holiness, 34 years later on April 1, 1922.

"Charles endured his suffering without complaining. He forgave all those who conspired against him and died ... with his eyes turned toward the Holy Sacrament," according to an official Vatican biography of the emperor.

French Cistercian monk Joseph-Marie Cassant from Casseneuil also died young, and had only been an ordained priest for a few months when he passed away at the age of 25 in 1903.

Despite "the sheer ordinariness of his life", the Vatican points out in its official biography of the young monk that "a world filled with distrust and often with despair but thirsting for love and kindness, his life can provide an answer, and in a special way to today's young who seek meaning in their lives. He owed the success of his life to a meeting with Jesus that redefined his very existence".

French missionary Peter Vigne, who was born on August 20, 1670 and who died 70 years later, meanwhile quickly became a "roving missionary", founding congregations and schools, and still finding time to write spiritual books, according to his Vatican biography.

Jean Paul II has already elevated more people to sainthood than any other pope in history, with 1337 beatifications and 482 saints to his name.